Tracing Your Dutch Roots

March 7 @ 7:00 pm8:30 pm

Many communities across the United States boast a rich Dutch heritage, owing their founding and regional culture to the influence of Dutch immigration. This presentation will explore resources and techniques to trace your Dutch ancestors in the United States and back into the Netherlands, with additional emphasis on cultural and historical context that surrounded the lives of your Dutch ancestors. Presenter: Alexander Tolksdorf.

Alexander Tolksdorf is a genealogist and speaker, specializing in German, Dutch, and Eastern European research. He began his personal journey in high school, inspired by a trip to Ellis Island and through a correspondence with his great uncle in Germany, who also was an active family historian. All four of his grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1950s following the Second World War; as such, the majority of his research experience and focus is in European sources.

Register in advance for this virtual meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpceqgpjssE9Di6Hif5wel4RIkSIZfi_yr

Midwest Genealogy Center Seminar

Midwest Genealogy Center Event

“We Survived Covid” In-person Meeting

Good news, the Society is hosting an in-person get-together on February 25, 2023, from 1 to 3 p.m. We will be offering research help in the following areas: German, England, Wales and Scotland, French, French-Canadian, Acadian, and Indigenous/Native, and beginner.

There will be a book exchange. If you have books and or journals you wish to exchange or put in the hands of other researchers, there will be a table for that. Refreshments will be available.

The meeting will be held at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 5500 N Adams Rd, Troy, MI 48098. There is a flat entrance for easy access.

See you there!

Seeking a Higher Source: The Records of Faith Communities

February 7, 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Key events in our ancestors’ lives were often documented in the faith communities in which they worshiped. Exploring the records and their importance across faith  communities. OCGS President Judy Nimer Muhn will provide information about the types of records, locations of archives and access to records, and the key ways that these records can enrich your family’s history.

Writer, speaker, blogger, presenter and researcher. Judy has been researching her family tree from the age of 12, specializing in French-Canadian, Acadian, Native American, Scottish and Michigan, Ontario and Quebec research. Beginning as a professional genealogist in Europe in 1993, she has lectured at the National Genealogical Society’s conferences, RootsTech and RootsTech Connect, Federation of Genealogical Societies, as well as conferences in Europe and around the United States. She is currently writing a book of the matrilineal descent of her oldest female ancestor from Normandy, France. Traveling extensively around the world, Judy has visited and researched in the villages and archives of Germany, France, Scotland, Quebec, and Ontario where her or her husband’s family lived as well as the lineages of her Native family. Owner of Lineage Journeys, she conducts research for clients and offers presentations in churches, libraries and organizations.

This is a Zoom event, register at this link.

The handout is available in the member area. Log in, then use the menu item Members only, and select handouts. use the search box and type 2023; then download the appropriate handout.

January 3 Meeting–Register Now!

Alexander Tolksdorf will make this presentation which is designed to help those new to researching German records. It will focus specifically on how/where to locate the records and how to interpret the records. This ranges from using FamilySearch’s catalog to using German repositories like Archion.de to contacting local archives.

Additional attention will be provided to historical geopolitics of what is today Germany, handwriting styles, as well as useful Germany reference materials. Lastly, the class also covers territorial regions formerly included in the German Empire (i.e. Alsace-Lorraine and eastern Prussian provinces).

Alexander Tolksdorf is a genealogist and speaker, specializing in German, Dutch, and Eastern European research. He began his personal journey in high school, inspired by a trip to Ellis Island and through a correspondence with his great uncle in Germany, who also was an active family historian. All four of his grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1950s following the Second World War; as such, the majority of his research experience and focus is in European sources.

Register in advance for the meeting here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkc-6hrTwjEtDdkSmvVItqKxMpXOMnRoTd

Estate and Probate Records Topic for December 6

Laressa Northrup will present an overview of estate records created when a person died will include individuals with and without will; and guardianship and coroner’s records. We will discuss what may be included in a probate record and what clues to look for. Types of wills, inheritance laws, and where to find probate records will be covered.

Laressa Northrup has been interested in family history since 1978. She holds advanced certificates from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies in US genealogy, Canadian genealogy, and English genealogy. Her specific interests are New York, Pennsylvania, Religious Research, and Photographs. This meeting is virtual meeting.

When: Dec 6, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvfuqsrzIrH9XfSK-aCxtXOHzsViUA59YQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan’s Next Meeting

The Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan’s next virtual meeting will be held Saturday, November 19. The meeting is free and open to the public.  More detailed information is on the flyer.

Registration Link For November Meeting

Our next meeting is Saturday, November 5 at 11:00 a.m.

Uncover Your Family’s Story Using the Genealogy Center’s Online Catalog and PERSI.  Elizabeth Hodges, Genealogy Librarian at the Genealogy Center at Allen County Public Library will present. This is a joint  meeting of the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research and the Oakland County Genealogical Society.

This is a Zoom webinar – registration required. DSGR and OCGS Members will have the first opportunity to register. Registration will be open to the public in two days.

The registration link is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7716666307100/WN_n6TdcYm_R9qovZhuDSZLyA

Oakland County Genealogical Society

Updates on This Site

On October 25, 2022 the following additions / updates were made. Please note that members must be logged in to view member’s only content.

Updated Acorns to Oaks Public Surname Index to include Volume 43 of Acorns to Oaks

Updated Member’s Only Surname Index to include Volume 43 of Acorns to Oaks

Updated Member’s Only Location Index to include Volume 43 of Acorns to Oaks

Updated Member’s Only Acorns to Oaks Back Issues to include all issues through 43-4